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mo Model.)

J. GIOGKI. BUFFER FOR VESSELS.

No. 558,482. Patented Apr. 21, 1896.

w'nnzssss; INVEN r02 M Jo/zan C'l'o clrz'.

JOHAN CIOCKI, OF NElV YORK, N. Y.

BUFFER FOR VESSELS.

SPECIFICATION forming Application filed uary 9, 1896.

part of Letters Patent No. 558,482, dated April 21, 1896;

Serial No. 574,854. (No model.)

To all whom, it. may concern:

Be itknown that I, J OHAN GIOOKI, a citizen of the German Empire, and aresident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buffers forVessels, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof, in which similarletters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

"his invention relates to buffers for vessels; and the object thereof isto provide devices of this class which are adapted to be connected withor secured to the bow of a vessel and to serve as bufiers to prevent theinjury which would otherwise be occasioned to another vessel in case ofa collision.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, ofwhich the accompanying drawings form a part, in which Figure 1 is acentral longitudinal section of my improved buffer. Figs. 2 and 3 areplan views of packing-rings which I employ in connection therewith, andFig. i a plan view of my device attached to or connected with the bow ofa vessel.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Arepresents the bowof a vessel, and in practice I secure thereto a buffer, a part of whichconsists of a tube or cylinder B, which is closed at the inner end andprovided with two plates 1), which are arranged in the form of atriangle and are adapted to fit the bow of the vessel, as shown in Fig.4:, and said plates are provided with copper packing b on the innersides thereof, and formed in said plates are transverse slots oropenings 11 through which bolts or screws are passed in securing thedevices to the vessel, and these openings 12 are oblong in form, so asto provide for aslight movement thereof.

The tube or cylinder B is provided at the inner end thereof with anopening C, in which is placed a screw-threaded plug D, to the outer endof which is secured, in practice, a cap (1, provided with a pin whichpasses therethrough and through a central bore (1 in the plug D, and atthe inner end' of which is a button or valve E, and between said buttonor vlve E and plug D is a spiral spring H.

the end of the Secured to the outer end of the tube or cylinder B is acap G, which may be secured to said tube in any desired manner, andpassing through said cap is a shaft K, and placed around said shaftdirectly inside of the cap G is a divided packing-ring k, which iscomposed of soft copper and which is adapted to rest in an annulargroove k formed in the outer end of the tube or cylinder B.

The outer end of the shaft K is provided with a head L, and mountedthereon, adjacent to said head, is a washer or bushing M, composed ofsoft copper, and the outer side of said head is provided with an annularchamber m, in which is placed a copper bushing or buffer-head O, whichis also composed of soft copper, and which is designed to come incontact with the vessel struck if a collision should occur.

ithin the tube or cylinder 13 is mounted a packing-ring P, which is madeof brass and which is composed of two similar parts, as shown in Fig. 2,and the separate sections thereof are connected by means of a spiralspring P which is adapted to press the separate sections of said ringoutwardly, and said spiral spring is inclosed in the tube P which is ofsubstantially the same length as the smaller diameter of said ring, butwhich is not connected with either side thereof.

Mounted within mental packing-ring R, which is also composed of twoequal parts, as shown in Fig. 3, and constructed of brass, and theseparate sections thereof are united by a spiral spring R which isinclosed by a tube R which is also not connected with either part ofsaid ring.

On referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings it will be seen that the outerring P is wider or deeper than the inner ring R, and that the end of theshaft K extends into the ring P and is connected therewith byprojectionsor shoulders S, which are formed thereon and which are adapted to entercorresponding notches or recesses formed in the ring P, and the ring Ris provided with corresponding shoulders or projections T,which areadapted to enter corresponding notches or recesses formed in the ring P,and by means of this construction when the shaft K is driven inthe ringP is a supple' posed of a tube which is connected with the bow of thevessel at one end, and which is closed by a cap at the other, throughwhich passes a shaft the inner end of which is provided with twopacking-rings, one of which is inclosed within the other, and each ofwhich is composed of separate sections, said packin g-rings beingadapted to be forced inwardly by said shaft and to expand so as toclosely pack the tube or cylinder in which they are located,substantially as shown and described.

2. A vessel provided with a buifer connected with the bow thereof, andwhich is adapted to receive the force of a blow occasioned by acollision, said buifer being composed of a tube which is connected withthe bow of the vessel at one end, and which is closed by a cap at theother, through which passes a shaft, the inner end of which is providedwith two packing-rings, one of which is inclosed within the other, andeach of which is composed of separate sections, said packin g-ringsbeing adapted to be forced inwardly by said shaft and to expand so as toclosely pack the tube or cylinder in which they are located, and saidshaft being provided at its outer end with a head, and a buffer-headmounted thereon, which is composed of soft copper, and with a washer orbushing-ring which is mounted thereon, between said buffer-head and thehead of the cylinder substantially as shown and described.

3. A vessel provided with a bu (for connected with the bow thereof, andwhich is adapted to receive the force of a blow occasioned by acollision, said buffer being composed of a tube which is connected withthe bow of the vessel at one end, and which is closed by a cap at theother, through which passes a shaft, the inner end of which is providedwith two packing-rings, one of which is inclosed within the other, andeach of which is composed of separate sections, said packin grings beingadapted to be forced inwardly by said shaft, and to expand so as toclosely pack the tube or cylinder in which they are located, and saidshaft being provided at its outer end with a head, and a buffer-headmounted thereon, which is composed of soft copper, and with a washer orbushing-ring which is mounted thereon, between said buffer-head and thehead of the cylinder, and said shaft being also provided within thecylinder with a divided packing-ring which is also composed of softcopper and which is supported in an annular groove formed in the end ofthe tube or cylinder, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 6th day of January,1895.

ward the packing-rings P and R are also forced inward, and saidpacking-rings are expanded by means of the air within the tube orcylinder B, and in case of a collision the bufler-head O and the end ofthe shaft K will first receive the force of the blow, and the shaft Kwill be driven inward and the force of said blow will thus be broken andwill be taken up by the air-cushion formed within the tube.

It will be apparent that any desired number of these buffers may beconnected with the bow of a vessel, and the operation will be readilyunderstood from the foregoing description when taken in connection withthe accompanyingdrawings. If a vessel provided with my improved buifershould come in collision with or strike another vessel, the force of theblow would be received by the buiferhead or bushing O at the end of theshaft K, and said shaft would be driven inward into the tube or cylinderB and would thus yield, so that the force of the blow would not besufficient to create or produce any material injury to the vesselstruck, and in this operation aslight amount of the air would be drivenfrom the tube or cylinder B through the central bore in the plug D, andthis tube may be kept full of air at all times or refilled with airunder pressure by means of an air-pump, if the same should becomenecessary, or in any desired manner, and the plug D may be provided withan air-valve of any desired form or construction, and one which willoperate to admit air under atmospheric pressure to the tube or cylinderB, but which will close, so as to prevent air from being forced fromsaid tube, and thus a natural air-cushion would be provided within saidtube at all times.

It is evident that changes in and modifications of this construction maybe made without departing from the spirit of myinvention or sacrificingits advantages, and I therefore reserve the right to make all suchchanges in and modificat ions of said construction as fairly come withinthe scope of the invention.

It will be observed that the divided packing-rings P and R are connectedwith the shaft K, so as to be forced inwardly thereby; but said ringsare expanded by the air within the cylinder or tube B and thus caused toform a close lit and perfect packing, and the prcssure of the inner ringupon the end of the shaft K will be such as to prevent any considerableamount of air from passing above said ring, and means may be providedfor the escape of any air that should by any possibility pass throughsaid rings and enter the outer part of the tube or cylinder B.

Having fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. A vessel provided with a buffer connected with thebow thereof, and which is adapted to receive the force of a blowoccasioned by a collision, said buffer being com- .TOl A N (lIO CK T.

\Vi tncsses 2 (i. GEns'r, A. 0., VAN BLAIZCOM'.

